Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa has urged member states of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) to make trade, industrialization, and value addition central to their development agendas.
The OACPS President made the declaration while addressing the 121st OACPS Council of Ministers at the Egmont Palace in Brussels.
Tayebwa challenged the 79-member bloc to focus heavily on practical economic issues that directly improve the livelihoods of citizens.
He noted that the relevance of the organization will increasingly be judged by its ability to champion policies that create jobs and strengthen regional industries.
The leader emphasized that member states must derive greater value from their vast natural resources.
He warned that developing nations cannot achieve meaningful prosperity by exporting raw materials while importing finished products.
"Exporting unprocessed minerals is, in effect, exporting jobs, industries and wealth," Tayebwa stated.
The OACPS President highlighted that Africa possesses an estimated $29.5 trillion in mineral wealth.
Despite this immense wealth, the continent continues to lose enormous value because most resources leave in raw forms.
Tayebwa pointed to the Democratic Republic of Congo as a successful example of economic transformation through local cobalt processing.
He also praised Uganda for successfully increasing national revenues through domestic gold processing.
The leader called for a collective shift across the African, Caribbean, and Pacific regions toward strict mineral beneficiation policies.
He reminded the ministers that economic transformation requires manufacturing higher-value products at the source.
The OACPS brings these diverse global regions together to promote cooperation on trade, sustainable development, and political dialogue.
Tayebwa stated that the organization must pivot toward tangible economic reforms to remain meaningful to its population.
